I close with a bit of a surprise. We removed a blockage in Cardo 3 North near the south entrance to the North Building. Much to our surprise, we found a blocked doorway to the House of Tyche with a decorated lintel still in situ and decorated door jambs. The door hails from early in the history of the house when Cardo 3 North dropped off down toward the north wall of the city. The stone work is worn but quite impressive.

Using photos from the 2014 season and a technique call photogrammetry, Jackie Wiebold has constructed a 3D model of the small room built over the remains of the southeast corner of the House of Tyche. Work on that room was completed this summer. Join the excavation (virtually) and explore the area for yourself!

Excavation in the summer of 2013 begins on Sunday 30 June. The Concordia team will leave one week earlier (on Sunday 23 June) and arrive in Israel on 24 June. We will travel first to Jerusalem where we will stay for three nights on the Old City. We will tour Christian and archaeological sites there, visit the Israeli Museum (new home of the Tyche fresco), and travel both to Ein Kerem (home of John the Baptist) and Bethlehem.

On Thursday 27 June we will drive north to our base at Kibbutz En Gev. During the day on Friday, we will prepare the archaeological site for our season’s work and set up the lab. On Saturday 29 June, we will tour sacred and archaeological sites around the Sea of Galilee (Kursi, Bethsaida, Capernaum, Tabgha, and Chorazin).

After our first two weeks of digging, we will take an overnight trip on July 12 and 13 to the Dead Sea, visiting Qumran, Ein Gedi, and Masada. We return to the states on 26 July.

Our excavation work will begin in the Beta Building on the western side of the site. We will complete work on the assembly hall and the domestic space. During the second half of the season, I expect the team will be smaller, and we will carry out a number of small study projects (mapping two cisterns, opening the entrance to the House of Tyche near the church apse, finishing the eastern room begun last year, etc.)